Caffeine 2/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby A coffee-maker is slowly filling with fresh coffee. Tim enters the bathroom. He is still half asleep and muttering to himself. TIM: You're not my real brother, Moby... (yawn) I am the last unicorn… Tim puts toothpaste on his toothbrush and starts to brush his teeth. He suddenly looks wide awake and spits out the toothpaste. TIM: Blugh. What in tarnation? Tim takes a closer look at the toothpaste tube and realizes that it is actually a tube of fungus cream. MOBY: Beep. Moby appears next to Tim in the bathroom mirror. He is holding the actual toothpaste tube with an evil grin on his face. TIM: You'll pay for this. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, is coffee bad for you? From, Tacora. Hey Tacora. Having a cup of coffee is a regular part of most adults' daily routine. It provides a burst of energy to help them power up in the morning. Or push through those last couple hours of a long workday. An animation shows a brain wearing a bathrobe, holding a cup of coffee in the kitchen. After taking a sip, the brain zooms off and returns to the kitchen wearing a suit. The brain grabs its briefcase as it zooms off again. TIM: A strong cup of joe might have helped me avoid Moby's little prank. Coffee's pick-me-up punch comes from a substance called caffeine. Caffeine occurs naturally in a lot of different plants. It’s especially concentrated in the seeds of coffee plants, which we call beans; in the cacao tree's seeds, which are used to make chocolate; and in the leaves of all types of tea plants. An animation shows branches from the various plants Tim describes. TIM: When extracted from plants it takes the form of a bitter, white powder. It's then artificially added to things like soda, energy drinks; and headache medication. An animation shows a pile of white powder and the various products Tim describes. MOBY: Beep. TIM: The point is to give them a little pop—just like with coffee and tea. These products all rely on the fact that caffeine is a stimulant: That's any substance that revs up your body's systems. An animation shows a person's silhouette. The person takes a sip of an energy drink. A heat map appears inside the silhouette and illustrates caffeine's effect. TIM: Caffeine elevates your heart rate and boosts your mood. It speeds up your metabolism, the rate at which your cells produce energy. It also suppresses feelings of hunger and sleepiness. In terms of brain chemistry, it activates your neurons and keeps them firing. A series of animations illustrate the effects Tim describes. TIM: You'll feel more motivated and alert—making it easier to concentrate. It's no wonder drinking coffee and tea is such a popular part of our culture. Caffeine does a whole lot more than just wake you up. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yep, since it's a stimulant, caffeine is technically a drug. That's any substance that alters the normal function of your mind and body. An animation shows a silhouette of the human body with a heat map. It shows the energy levels a body functioning normally. TIM: Some stimulants, like cocaine and certain prescription pills, can rev up your body to a dangerous extreme. Other stimulants are very safe, like the medicine in asthma inhalers. On this spectrum, caffeine is a lot closer to the asthma medication. A spectrum running from green to red appears below the silhouette. On the red side, images of pills and drugs appear as Tim names them. On the green side, images of an inhaler and a cup of coffee appear as Tim names them. The silhouette also turns green to show that caffeine is safe. TIM: It's safe for most people, as long as you don't have a heart condition. As with any stimulant, though, it can become a habit that's tough to quit. Really big coffee drinkers might even experience withdrawal if they try. The sudden absence of caffeine triggers unpleasant symptoms, like headaches and irritability. An animation shows a person's silhouette in profile. The person's mouth is open wide. A conveyor belt drops a continuous supply of coffee cups into the person's mouth. Then the conveyor belt runs out of coffee. The person's mouth closes and pain lines show that the person has a headache. MOBY: Beep. TIM: With all that said, a caffeine habit isn't going to ruin your health and relationships. But it's best to take it in moderation, especially for kids. Our bodies are more sensitive to caffeine's effects. An animation shows the adult brain zooming off to work in a suit. The adult brain's cup of coffee is still sitting on the kitchen counter. A small, child brain enters the kitchen and takes a sip of coffee. The child brain's eyes widen and it turns into a bouncing ball of energy. TIM: It can mess up your concentration and make you jittery. Some kids have trouble sleeping even if they've had just a little caffeine. An animation shows the child brain lying awake in bed with bloodshot eyes. Then the bloodshot eyed child brain stands next to a parent brain, who looks angry. TIM: Talk with your parents about what's right for you. And read the ingredients on packaged foods and drinks. Caffeine's hiding in a lot of stuff you might not suspect. An animation shows a packaged snack called Protein Log. It flips over to show the list of ingredients. A magnifying glass slides over the fine print and stops on the word caffeine. TIM: I hope it goes without saying that you should avoid caffeine pills and stuff like that. An animation shows the child brain examining an energy drink and then throwing it away. TIM: If you find that you're tired during the day, it's best to try a natural remedy. Like exercising, and making time to get a good night's sleep! A series of animations shows the child brain doing each of the activities Tim describes. MOBY: Beep. Moby offers Tim a toothbrush that already has some paste on it. He has an evil grin on his face. TIM: What kind of jabroni do you take me for? Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Health Transcripts